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Day Names

The ancient tradition of day-naming — choosing a name from the day of the week, the month, the season or holiday, or even a time of day — feels fresh again now. Names inspired by your child’s birthday can be obvious or subtle. Day names include word names like Tuesday and Winter, as well as names that connote time in their meanings, like Layla and Kwame.

Along with Layla and Winter, other day names in the US Top 1000 include Asa, August, June, Natalie, Noel, Samir, Summer, and Zora. Rare day names that deserve to be on more parents’ lists include Ameyo, Dagny, Holiday, and Vesper.

Many day names are African in origin. Historically, the many African cultures and tribes had distinct day names for girls and boys. Akosua, for example, is the Twi name for a girl born on Sunday.

Here, examples of day names that could work as modern baby names.

Day Names

Sunday

Meaning: day of the Sun

Origin:Day name, English from Latin
592
Junia

Meaning: born in June

Origin:Latin, Feminine variation of Junius
1109
May May is of English origin, and the meaning of...
Origin:Diminutive of Margaret and Mary; month name
415
Lila

Meaning: night; play

Origin:Arabic, Sanskrit
108
Natasha

Meaning: birthday of the Lord

Origin:Russian diminutive of Natalya
318
Natalie

Meaning: birthday of the Lord

Origin:French variation of Russian Natalia
370
Cerelia

Meaning: relating to springtime

Origin:Latin
803
August

Meaning: great, magnificent

Origin:German form of Latin Augustus
16
Juni

Meaning: June

Origin:Scandinavian
800
Suvi

Meaning: summer

Origin:Finnish
1268
June

Meaning: young

Origin:Latin
186
April

Meaning: to open

Origin:Latin
209
Layla

Meaning: night

Origin:Variation of Leila, Arabic
142
Amaya

Meaning: mother city; the end; night rain

Origin:Spanish version of Amaia or Japanese
148
Danique

Meaning: morning star

Origin:French variation of Danica
2821
Natalia

Meaning: birthday [of the Lord]

Origin:Latin
201
Zora

Meaning: dawn

Origin:Serbo-Croatian
365
Orpheus

Meaning: the darkness of the night

Origin:Greek mythology name
402
Asa

Meaning: healer; born in the morning

Origin:Hebrew; Japanese
204
Manu

Meaning: greatest; bird; man

Origin:Finnish, Maori, Hawaiian, Sanskrit
906